Frequently Asked Questions

Nancy's Yogurt has a new look. Why? Has the company changed hands? Have the products changed?

Nancy's is very much in the same family-owned and operated hands that it has been in since 1960. We're still the same folks, providing you with the same healthy cultured products, after all these years. Nothing about our ownership has changed, we still remain family owned and operated by the Kesey Family since 1960.

Many of our containers were the original packaging from more than 30 years ago. Over the years, as we added new products, our containers evolved somewhat separately from each other. It was time to pull the Nancy's line together to look like a family of products. The result is the same pure, wholesome products, but with a fresh, new look. We hope you like it as much we do.

You have changed the container size for Nancy's Fruit on Top Yogurt. Why?

The change was partly consumer-driven and partly a matter of retail survival.

Our loyal customers have let us know that they prefer a higher ratio of fruit to yogurt than what we offered in the 9.5 oz. package. Our fruit is much more expensive than the yogurt itself because we use real fresh fruit, produced by nearby farmers, cook it ourselves with honey and hand pack it into cups. If we had simply kept the same package size and increased the amount of fruit, we would have had to charge more for the product. Instead, we opted to give our customers the fruit-to-yogurt ratio they want, and at the same time, reduce the wholesale price of the product, which helps keep it affordable for our customers. Overall, the yogurt went down 25% and the fruit went up 25%.

For our retailers, the 9.5 oz. non-standard size created problems. It was taller than other yogurts and did not fit well on cooler shelves. This made it difficult to bring the product into new markets. It was being eliminated from some stores because it didn't stack well on the shelves where refrigerated "real estate" is very valuable. So, we had to make a choice: change to an 8 oz. package and keep the product alive or let it go. We love this fruit & yogurt combination , as we know you do, and didn't want to see it disappear.

It's important to know that, at Springfield Creamery, these choices are not made by a corporate "think tank" with the goal of big profits. It was just us, trying to make it all work for everyone, and in the end, continue to offer a pure, real food at the best value. We have no shareholders to dictate our ideals.

Why is the fruit packaged separately from the yogurt in some of your products?

The fruit-on-top yogurt is one of our original products from 1970. We found that many people enjoy stirring the fruit in as they eat, customizing their yogurt for themselves. By separating the fruit we can give you pure fruit, lightly sweetened with honey and nothing else. There's no need for thickeners, cane sugars, colorings or "other natural flavors" when you use top quality, real fruit.

What happened to the translucent Nancy's containers? They were great for storing leftovers because you could see what was inside.

We miss those containers, too! The company that previously supplied our containers went out of business, and we were forced to find a new supplier. At the same time, we were developing our new container look. We elected to go with all-white containers because they look great on the store shelf. (The translucent ones gave off a "gray" look). We have, however, tried to be helpful by providing an area on the container to write what you have stored inside, whether it's olives, Play Dough or nails. You can also write the date in that space when you store your leftovers, because while we fully support the idea of cultured foods, not all "cultures" from the fridge are the ones you want!

Nancy's Cultured Soy seems to be in different containers now as well. Are they smaller and why?

Yes, we made a change to a 6 oz. container size when Nancy's Cultured Soy became fully Organic! The 32 oz Plain Cultured Soy remains the same size, although now a fully Organic and Vegan Prodcut.

The new size aligns us with all the other cultured soy yogurts on the store shelf. Because Nancy's cultured Soy is now a fully Organic product and - therefore -- more expensive to produce, the new size enables us to offer an Organic product without a price increase. Down in size, up in quality.

Nancy's Cultured Soy is fully Organic? How is it different than it was before?

Yes! Nancy's Cultured Soy is now FULLY ORGANIC! Nancy's Cultured Soy was previously made with Organic soy milk, but now it's made not only with Organic soy milk, but with Organic fruits, Organic amazake and Organic sweeteners as well.

I've noticed Nancy's Organic Cultured Soy is now vegan, too? What has changed?

Yes, Nancy's Soy is now a fully vegan product. Previously our Plain soy was sweetened with honey, but now we have switched to Organic agave, making the entire line fully vegan.

Nancy's Cultured Soy now has calcium--have you made a change?

Yes, we have found a very pure source of calcium carbonate and now add it to our Organic cultured soy at 150 mg. of available calcium per 6 oz. serving. The natural acidity of the fruit and vitamin C in our soy yogurt help the body fully utilize the calcium.

Some of the Nancy' Organic Cultured Soy is sweetened with agave. What is agave?

Agave is the "blue cactus" that is well known as the source of tequila. It's actually from the lily family, not a cactus at all. The plant has a starchy core which, when crushed, releases enzymes that convert starch to a simple sugar. The sugar is then boiled to form a syrup (much like the way maple syrup is made). We use this pure organic agave syrup to sweeten some of our soy yogurts. It has a light taste and registers very low on the glycemic index.

I see that you have added two new cultures. What are these cultures, and why do you add them?

The two new cultures are well-known old strains of L. casei and L. rhamnosus. They are two additional probiotic cultures that we now add to all Nancy's yogurts in addition to the L. acidophilus and B. bifidum. Studies show they stimulate the immune system, can be tumor-suppressing, alleviate diarrhea, reduce allergic reactions from foods, reduce bladder-cancer reoccurrence and improve the prevention of colitis flare-ups. These are very beneficial cultures, and we are pleased to be able to offer them.

What is the actual culture count of your yogurt?

You will find billions of live cultures in every container of Nancy's cultured dairy and soy products. When we have had our yogurts tested in an independent laboratory, the results show our yogurt that is, for instance, 11 days old, has a total live bacterial count of 1,350,000,000 per 1/4 teaspoon. That's a lot of live culture! Keep in mind that as the product ages, the culture or bacteria count diminishes. Even so, toward the end of the product's life you can still expect about 300,000,000 live bacteria per 1/4 teaspoon.

A store listed on your Web site's store finder does not carry Nancy's. How can I get Nancy's in my area?

The information listed in our store finder is, unfortunately, not fool-proof. Your best bet in this case is to ask the store's dairy buyer if they can bring in Nancy's. Usually the answer is yes. If you are still at a loss, send us a line and we will do what we can to help you locate another store.

Nancy's Cottage Cheese tastes tart in comparison to other brands of cottage cheese - why is that?

Nancy's lowfat cottage cheese has a fully cultured old-fashioned flavor. We set our cottage cheese with four strains of lactic cultures, the same ones used for sour cream, instead of coagulants like rennet. We allow them to grow slowly to maximize the tangy sour-cream-like flavor and increase it's digestibility. We use probiotic cultures in the dressing for additional health benefits.

Sometimes when I open my yogurt, there's a watery liquid on top. What is it and is it supposed to be there?

The watery liquid is the water in the milk. It's called whey and is a nutritious and valuable food with lots of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus dissolved in it. It should be stirred into your yogurt before you eat it, or poured into a juice or smoothie.

Is the honey you use to sweeten your yogurt pasteurized or raw?

All of the honey we use is pasteurized. We pasteurize it ourselves. There is still some concern around feeding honey to infants under 1 year old. Their immature digestive systems can't fend off a potential botulinum spore, that may or may not be present in honey, so the recommendation is to avoid giving honey to infants.

What is 'Vegan Amylase Enzyme' listed as an ingredient in Nancy's Cultured Soy?

The vegan enzyme we use to make our Nancy's Soy Yogurt is obtained from the mycelia (roots) of the fungus Aspergillis Oryzae. This is the same strain used to make the ancient, traditional Japanese rice drink called amazake. Its function is to break the large brown rice starch molecule into a simple sugar, known in its purest form as rice syrup. This not only sweetens the rice but also makes it more digestible.

The following is a brief description of how the enzyme is produced.

The fungal culture is inoculated into a liquid nutrient media composed mainly of soy bean protein and corn syrup and grown submerged and free-form until the media is fully fermented and the enzyme is produced. The mycelia are then filtered out and the enzyme is separated by molecular weight to a purified soluble state. We use it in small amounts, for the production of our soy yogurt, which is a blend of organic brown rice amazake and organic soy milk.

Based on the information from our supplier, this vegan enzyme does not contain wheat or gluten and the aspergillis oryzae used to make the enzyme is a non-GMO strain.

Are Nancy's products gluten-free?

Yes, all of our cultured dairy and soy products are gluten-free.

My son is allergic to dairy. Which of your products are completely casein-free?

All of our Organic Cultured Soy products are completely casein and dairy-free. We use nondairy cultures to culture our soy yogurt.

How long is your yogurt fermented and is there lactose remaining after fermentation?

Nancy's yogurt is fermented for about 10 hours. Approximately 60-65 percent of the original lactose is removed through the fermentation process and converted to lactic acid. This is probably the longest culturing period of any yogurt on the market. Our yogurt contains billions of live beneficial bacteria per teaspoon, which greatly aids nutrient absorption and digestibility.

There is a date stamped on the side of your container lids. What does it mean?

The "pull-date" on the container is the date until which the product is good. We recommend that you consume it before that date.

I have yogurt in my refrigerator that is a few days past the date stamped on the container. Is it still good to eat?

Our best recommendation here is to use your own good judgment. We know that Nancy's customers are wise -- simply looking at the product should give you an indication whether it is still good to eat. Watch for surface mold. There are many variables that affect the life of the product- such as refrigeration during shipping, in the store and at your home. Whether the product has been opened can also be a factor. A product that is a few days past our pull date generally is still good. Remember, we only guarantee the product until the date stamped on the side.

I have more "Nancyware" containers than I can ever reuse. My recycling center only takes small-necked containers. Where can I recycle my Nancyware?

Reuse is always best. We recommend sharing them with your friends, schools, plant nurseries, daycare centers, etc. If you are within a reasonable distance of Eugene, BRING Recycling center in Eugene will recycle them. Or you can do what some folks do - they box up their clean containers and send them back to us at the creamery and we recycle them at BRING.